¶After that the kings highnesse had addressed his gratious letters to the maior and communaltie of the citie, signifieng to them, that his pleasure was to solemnize and celebrate the coronation of his most deare and welbeloued wife quéene Anne, at Westminster the Whitsundaie next insuing, wil|led them to make preparation, as well to fetch hir grace from Greenwich to the Tower by water, as to sée the citie ordered and garnished with pageants in places accustomed, for the honor of hir grace. When she shuld be conueied from the Tower to Westmin|ster, there was a common councell called, and com|mandement was giuen to the haberdashers (of which craft the maior sir Stephan Pecocke then was) that they should prepare a barge for the bachelors, with a wa [...]ter and a foist, garnished with banners and strea [...]ters likewise, as they vse to doo when the maior is presented at Westminster on the morrow after Simon and Iude. Also all other crafts were commanded to prepare barges, and to garnish them, not alonelie with their banners accustomed,The cities preparation. but also to decke them with targets by the sides of the bar|ges, and to set vp all such séemelie banners and ban|nerets as they had in their halles, or could get meet to furnish their said barges, and euerie barge to haue minstrelsie: according to which commande|ments great preparation was made for all things necessarie for such a noble triumph.

The ninetéenth daie of Maie,Hir com|ming by wa|ter from Gréenewich on thursdaie. the maior and his brethren all in scarlet, and such as were knights had collars of S S, and the remnant hauing good chains, and the counsell of the citie with them, assembled at saint Marie hill, and at one of the clocke descended to the new staire to their barge, which was garnished with manie goodlie banners and streamers, and rich|lie couered. In which barge were shalmes, shagbu|shes, and diuerse other instruments, which continu|allie made goodlie harmonie. After that the maior and his brethren were in their barge, séeing that all the companies to the number of fiftie barges were readie to wait vpon them, they gaue commande|ment to the companies, that no barge should rowe néerer to another than twise the length of the barge vpon a great paine. And to sée the order kept, there were thrée light wheries prepared, and in euerie one of them two officers to call on them to kéepe their or|der, after which commandement giuen, they set foorth in order as hereafter is described.

First before the maiors barge was a foist or waf|ter full of ordinance,The maiors barge with the conceits and deuises thereof. in which foist was a great dra|gon continuallie moouing and casting wild fire: and round about the said foist stood terrible monsters and wild men casting fire, and making hideous noi|ses. Next after the foist a good distance came the ma|iors barge: on whose right hand was the bachelors barge, in the which were trumpets and diuerse other melodious instruments; the deckes of the said barge and the sailyards, with the top castels were hanged with rich cloth of gold and silke: at the foreship and the sterne were two great banners rich, beaten with the armes of the king and the quéene, and on the top castell also was a long streamer newlie bea|ten with the said armes. The sides of the barge was set full of flags and banners of the deuises of the companie of the haberdashers and merchants ad|uenturers, and the cords were hanged with innu|merable pensel [...]es, hauing little belles at the ends, which made a goodlie noise and a goodlie sight, waue|ring in the wind. On the outside of the barge were thrée dozen scutchions in mettall of arms of the king and the queene, which were beaten vpon square bucram diuided, so that the right side had the kings colours, and the left side the queenes, which scutchi|ons were fastened on the clothes of gold and siluer, hanging on the decks on the left hand.